1. Field of the Invention
Disclosed embodiments of the invention generally relate to folding knives, and more particularly, to knives employing assisted-opening mechanisms.
2. Description of the Related Art
A folding knife typicality includes a blade and handle pivotably coupled to allow the blade to rotate, relative to the handle, between an open position, in which the blade extends from the handle, and a closed position, in which the blade is received in a corresponding recess in the handle. Such knives have enjoyed wide use for more than a hundred years due to their compactness, ease of handling, safety, and versatility.
The recent development of various assisted-opening mechanisms for folding knives has been extremely popular, perhaps in part because of the added utility such mechanisms provide, while maintaining a level of safety that is not found in knives such as automatic, or “switch-blade” knives.
An assisted-opening mechanism typically includes a bias member configured to move the blade toward the open position when the blade is manually rotated from the closed position to beyond an equilibrium or threshold point. However, while the blade is in the closed position, the biasing member is generally configured to apply a reverse bias to the blade, tending to hold the blade in the closed position.
Examples of knives equipped with assisted-opening mechanisms may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,145,202; 6,338,431; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/774,310; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/680,751, all of which are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.